1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for inserting a terminal connected to one end of an electric wire into a connector housing, and particularly, to a method and an apparatus that enables such a wire-connected terminal to be automatically inserted smoothly and securely into a terminal accommodating chamber within the connector housing from an opening in a notched rear end portion of the connector housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-13194 discloses a method and an apparatus for automatically inserting a wire-connected terminal into a terminal accommodating chamber within a connector housing from an opening in one end portion of the connector housing (in the rear end portion thereof with regard to the direction of insertion). The connector housing has an interior divided by partition walls into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers, and each terminal accommodating chamber has an outer end defining an opening capable of constituting an opening through which a wire-connected terminal is inserted. At the portion where the openings are formed, notched shoulder portions are formed in the partition walls at their joints with the top and bottom walls of the housing. The connector housing also has a terminal retaining cover capable of opening away from and closing onto the notched shoulder portions. A wire-connected terminal is inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber in the following manner: the connector housing is retained by a retainer, and front and rear portions of the wire-connected terminal, that is, the electrical contact portion at the leading end and the electric wire at the trailing end, are simultaneously held by a front terminal-holder and a rear terminal-holder, respectively; the wire-connected terminal is brought to the relevant opening at the rear end of the connector housing; and when the leading end of the terminal has entered the opening, the front terminal-holder is separated (usually by moving the holder upward), and only the rear terminal-holder is used to push the terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber. The terminal retaining cover, which is integrated with the housing by a hinge, is brought into contact and engaged with the trailing end portion of the inserted terminal to retain the same.
With the disclosed art, when the leading end of the terminal has entered into the interior of the housing, the leading end may collide with the top wall or the bottom wall at a notched shoulder portion of the connector housing. As a result, the terminal may not be inserted properly sometimes.